Cordova resident Annette Deaton has been selected as one of 29 Alaska delegates to participate in the upcoming Republican National Convention. She will be joined by her son, William, who leads the Cordova Precinct of the Republican Party and who will serve as an alternate delegate at the RNC. The RNC is scheduled to take place Aug. 24-27 in Charlotte, N.C.
For Annette Deaton, the convention will be an opportunity to highlight the importance of the fishing industry and of creating a less oil-dependent economy, she said. She also hopes to draw attention to the importance of consistent ferry service to communities like Cordova.
“We are going from Cordova not just to represent Republicans,” William Deaton said. “The issue of the ferry is not just a Republican issue. The issue of the seafood industry is not just a Republican issue… We want to make sure that Alaskan fish is sold to Americans, that it’s sold around the world. We want to continue to put forward this idea of ‘America first’ in our economy, and that includes our seafood industry.”
The Deatons hope to raise $6,000 to cover transportation and hotel costs, convention fees and other necessities. Tuesday, May 26, William Deaton began raising money using crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. Annette and William Deaton also plan to raise money by selling a dozen chocolate meringue pies Saturday, May 30.
Annette Deaton was motivated to become a delegate in part by her son, who has been politically engaged since early childhood, she said. Annette Deaton recalls a young William asking to stay up late in order to watch the results of a presidential election announced on TV.
“I said, ‘No, honey, you have kindergarten tomorrow, so go ahead and go to sleep, and then, in the morning, I can tell you,’” Annette Deaton said. “Well, that’s the first thing he asked — he opened his eyes and he wanted to know who was president.”
William Deaton said he looks forward to advocating for rural American communities and to hearing President Donald Trump accept the party’s nomination.
“As an 18-year-old kid who just graduated from high school, I feel immensely blessed to have this opportunity to go to Charlotte, N.C., to be in the same area as the president of the United States and high-ranking Republican members of Congress,” William Deaton said. “To be a part of that, to say, ‘I’m going to be making history here by supporting Donald Trump for president in 2020,’ — I’m extremely blessed and I’m extremely excited.”
